https://www.sos.wa.gov/_assets/elections/mock/teachers%20guide%20curriculum%2010.08.2018.pdf

Tacoma, WA – Along with the Washington State Women's Commission and the Women's History Consortium, the Washington State Historical Society is providing local groups with funding to recognize and celebrate the 100-year anniversary of Congress recognizing women's right to vote in America. Through several rounds of grant applications, organizations across Washington (listed below) have been selected to receive Votes for Women Centennial Grant funding for commemorative projects. Dynamic exhibitions, events and programs will honor the suffrage centennial in a variety of engaging ways, and most are open to public participation.

For more information regarding Washington’s suffrage centennial activities, please visit www.suffrage100wa.com, or follow @suffrage100wa on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

"The Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” was produced to tell the truth about the role black women played in the right to vote, highlight how much longer it took for black women to receive the right to vote, and the journey to get to where we are now. This historical film means to push all of us out of our comfort zone to face the reality of the past, look at the present deeper, and co-create a better future for all. Filmmaker KD Hall was commissioned by the Washington State Women’s Commission to tell the stories of black women in the suffrage movement.

KD Hall is a Professor, Author, Speaker, Producer, and Filmmaker – using education as a vehicle of change to drive parity in the workplace. KD Hall plans to make this film available to school districts across the state of Washington next school year. This film, along with the adjoining video, “A Seat at the Table; Women’s Sacred Right to Vote,” may be found on OSPI’s Open Educational Resources page here.

Share your knowledge and present at the Spring Conference!

Proposal Deadline: December 14, 2019

The 2020 Spring Conference and Retreat is March 13-15 at Skamania Lodge! The theme this year is: Inseparable: Human-Environment Interactions.

2020 Keynote speakers and workshop sessions will explore:

•  This Land - classroom strategies for place-based education and indigenous connections to land
• Global Issues - past and present human activities and impacts (including climate change) and how these contribute to both cooperation and conflict

Present that amazing lesson or program at the Spring Conference!

The window for submitting sessions for the 2020 Spring Conference is open. If you are interested in presenting at the Spring Conference (and being able to attend the conference at a discounted registration rate), please begin brainstorming what great lessons or resources you could share based on this year's theme. We know you've got that great lesson you refine year over year, the program that opened your eyes to a country, or a program that redefined how you teach.  If you've got it, flaunt it!  The deadline for submitting a proposal is December 14, 2019. To submit a proposal, please visit: https://www.wscss.org/skamaniaconference

"Since Time Immemorial (STI):" Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum Basic and Training of Trainers Workshops

Effective July 24, 2015 with the passage of Senate Bill 5433, school districts are required to incorporate lessons about the history, culture and government of the nearest federally recognized Indian Tribe(s) when the district reviews or adopts its social studies curriculum (RCW 28A.320.170). School districts shall collaborate with OSPI on curricular areas regarding tribal government and history that are statewide in nature such as the concept of tribal sovereignty and the history of federal policy towards federally recognized Indian Tribes. School districts shall meet these requirements by using the “Since Time Immemorial” Tribal Sovereignty online curriculum and may modify this curriculum in order to incorporate elements that have a regionally specific focus or to incorporate the curriculum into existing curricular materials.

OSPI’s web-based Tribal sovereignty curriculum (http://www.k12.wa.us/IndianEd/TribalSovereignty/default.aspx) is:

• Linked to locally-based tribal information
• Accurate and reliable so you can feel confident about what you are teaching
• Endorsed by OSPI and Washington’s federally recognized Tribes
• Easy to access so you don’t have to wait for materials—they are just a click away
• Easy to integrate within your existing units so you don’t have to feel like you have to throw out your own lessons to “make room” for these materials
• Aligned to the state’s Social Studies standards, recommended units, and classroom-based assessments
• Free

Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum Inservice Schedule

The STI Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum received a major update, edit, and new look in July 2019 through the OSPI server. Our work to improve/add lessons to the site is ongoing and STI continues to be a model for curriculum nationwide. The most recent additions are the Native Knowledge 360° Pacific Northwest tribal inquiries developed through a collaboration with the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian. The curriculum is aligned to the state’s new social studies standards and was the first state endorsed curriculum to be aligned with Common Core Standards. The STI Tribal Sovereignty Curriculum is easy to implement because all lesson plans and materials are available on the website and it is completely free. The integration of tribal history and sovereignty into social studies lessons and classroom instruction has never been easier.

Introductory trainings provide an overview of the curriculum website, resources, and an opportunity to unpack the units. The training of trainer workshops are designed for school teams and individuals charged with the responsibility for implementing STI within the school curriculum. It is preferred that persons registering for the training of trainers would already have participated in at least one introductory STI workshop in the past two years and be familiar with the curriculum website and resources.

The following link will take you to the training announcement and registration form:

https://www.k12.wa.us/sites/default/files/public/indianed/pubdocs/Fall%202019%20STI%20Training%20Schedule--Save%20the%20Date.pdf

The U.S. Census Bureau provides program to increase awareness of the 2020 census

Statistics in Schools (SIS) is a U.S. Census Bureau program that uses census statistics to create classroom materials for grades pre-K through 12. Teachers and subject matter experts nationwide helped develop each Statistics in Schools activity to increase awareness of, and overall public response to, the decennial census. The Statistics in Schools program includes more than 200 activities and resources that enhance learning and engage administrators, teachers, students and their parents/guardians in public conversations about the census. Resources include lesson plans, data tools, fun facts and more.

Washington Teachers:

APPLY NOW -- Applications for the 2020 Summer Teacher Professional Development programs are now available online. There are SIX TUITION-FREE courses planned for next summer. Travel stipends of $250 also are available to help offset the cost of getting to our Valley Forge, PA, campus!

These week-long programs will fill up fast so apply now. Application acceptances and registration information will be sent out in early January. Check it out and pass it along to colleagues/peers who might be interested:

https://www.freedomsfoundation.org/teachers/2020-programs/

The U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) provides more than 1,000 merit-based scholarships each year for U.S. high school students to study abroad for a summer or an academic year in over 25 countries – and we’d like your help to spread the word.  These high school exchange programs prepare young Americans to succeed in the 21^st century’s global economy by developing their foreign language skills, increasing their cross-cultural understanding, strengthening their leadership capacity, and fostering new academic insights and ambitions. 

Apply now for the following programs:

• Congress-Bundestag Youth Exchange (CBYX) - Deadline December 3, 2019
• National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) – Deadline October 30, 2019
• Kennedy-Lugar Youth Exchange and Study Abroad (YES Abroad) - - Deadline December 3, 2019
• Youth Ambassadors - Deadline November 6, 2019

These scholarship programs cover international airfare, tuition, program costs, as well as meals and living accommodations (often with a host family).  The programs have no language prerequisites, except select Youth Ambassadors programs, and applicants must be between the ages of 15 and 18 when the program starts.  We are particularly trying to reach young people who would not otherwise have the opportunity to participate in a study abroad experience.

Please share this information with teachers, students, parents, and others in your networks who may be interested in these opportunities.

See the HS Study Abroad Scholarships Fact Sheet for more details.  You may find this announcement and other outreach materials at http://bit.ly/studyabroadinhighschool. If you would like to receive printed materials, please send your contact information, and affiliation, and quantity requested to youthprograms@state.gov.

Grades 5-12 history teachers and support personnel are encouraged to apply for a Colonial Dames scholarship. Are you looking to fund professional development, a special history project, classroom supplies or curriculum? Do you need supplies and technology to start a History Day program at your school? The Colonial Dames are here to help!

Scholarships are granted up to $1,500 and will be announced in Spring 2020. Visit https://www.nscdawa.org/teacher-resources-scholarships/ to learn more about this scholarship and apply.

The Office of the Washington State Auditor works to increase public trust in government and wants to help everyone get to know their local governments better.  We’ve developed features for the public that are useful for teachers.  All of the following are on our website at www.sao.wa.gov.

• Engaging Gov 101 videos give an overview of how each local government type functions and the services it provides. Currently we have three - Counties, Cities & Towns, and School Districts - with more to be added soon. 
• Our Financial Intelligence Tool – or FIT – is an easy-to-use, highly interactive tool that displays the financial data for every local government in the state of Washington.
• We are beginning to add interactive infographics about local government types that provide yet another way to explore these entities. Check out our first one on Drainage and Diking Districts! 

The Library of Congress has some phenomenal primary sources. While sometimes it can be difficult to find exactly what you are looking for, the Library does have a variety of curated materials for classroom use.  Consider signing up for the twice weekly Library of Congress Teachers blog page. It highlights various primary sources relating to multiple disciplines with teaching activity suggestions. This school year, special focus monthly will include blogposts written by teachers on using primary sources to support STEM and Civics education. On the Library of Congress teachers webpage educators can access primary source sets, teaching with primary source guides, and lesson plans on a variety of topics.

 If you would like further information relating to the Library of Congress resources to support teachers, contact Teacher in Residence, Jen Reidel at jreidel@loc.gov.

The Western Governors' Foundation is proud to announce its 5th Annual "Celebrate the West" regional art competition that challenges high school students to create 2-D artwork inspired by their state!

Here is a link to this year's contest, including contest rules and photos of previous winners:

http://westgov.org/celebrate-the-west

The entry deadline is April 30, 2020.

It is easy and no cost to enter. Students simply need to email a photograph of their artwork along with their completed entry form found on our website. Students are welcome to submit artwork used for other contests or assignments.

We have exciting news from the land of the Washington Center for the Book…

The 5^th Annual Washington State Zine Contest is now open!!! http://www.washingtoncenterforthebook.org/wszc/

The beautiful artwork on the poster was done by Chris Sabatini, Youth Services Library Associate at the Olympia Timberland Library.  The Timberland Regional Library has been our partner on this project for all five years of the contest.

This year the contest has moved from the WSL Central Library to the Washington Center for the Book.  The Washington Center for the Book is an affiliate of the Library of Congress Center for the Book and is a partnership of The Seattle Public Library and the Washington State Library, a division of the Office of the Secretary of State. 

The scope has accordingly widened – we are still very much welcoming any and all WA State History content but we are also welcoming entries that are not focused on history. 

Potential zinesters from the 4^th grade level on up are welcome to enter and teachers can now use this contest not just for their history classes but for all of their other classes, too!